Redemptorist Solidarity Office (RSO) has worked with Tapologo for over 20 years. Tapologo is a South African organisation working with marginalised informal communities in the Rustenburg area. They respond to health issues affecting these communities.
Through funding from Misean Cara’s Member Managed Grant (MMG), RSO is supporting the Tapologo Home Based Primary Care Programme 2025-2028.
The main aim of the project is to establish a new Home Based Primary Health Care (HBPHC) programme in the three informal communities of Freedom Park, Chaneng and Boitekong. The programme aims to respond primarily to the health needs of marginalised OVC and adults who are seriously affected by HIV and AIDS, and a lack of access to healthcare in general. The programme will also support OVC to attend and stay in school. By 2028, the Programme will reach 700 people (420 OVC; 280 adults). At household level it will (1) develop a comprehensive health map of the target communities; (2) improve health outcomes; (3) improve access to Primary Health Care and Home Based Palliative Care; (4) improve health education and compliance to medication; (5) ensure healthier lifestyles within the household; (6) support referral to government healthcare as needed; and (7) ensure OVC are attending and progressing in school;
At health system level, it also aims to improve collaborative health planning at District Level through sharing of health data and lessons learned from the Home Based approach.
Kevin Dowling CSsR
Kevin Dowling was born in Pretoria in 1944 and was ordained a priest for the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer on 9th July 1967. He has been Bishop of Rustenberg in North West Province, South Africa since December 1990.
Bishop Dowling has been a powerful advocate for human rights and was prominent in the anti-apartheid movement. Being involved in various community activities in the greater Rustenburg area, he realised that the HIV infection rate and the number of people with AIDS was reaching pandemic proportions in the region, and that resources available to deal with the effects of the disease were limited if not non-existent. Those resources that did exist were not effectively coordinated. In response to this situation, Kevin Dowling founded the Tapologo Programme. Out of this realization was born the Tapologo Programme. “Tapologo”, a Setswana word indicating the theme of “peace and rest” expresses well the Mission of Tapologo which is the guiding response of this faith based community-centred HIV/Aids programme.
